Noel Johnson Movies

For Your Eyes Only eschews the gimmickry and campiness of earlier James Bond films, concentrating instead on telling the story and maintaining suspense. Roger Moore is back as Secret Agent 007, this time on the trail of Soviet spies while he romances the beautiful Melina, played by Carole Bouquet. Richard Maibaum's screenplay has very little to do with the collection of short stories that made up Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only, save for the plotline involving Melina's seeking vengeance for the death of her father. The direction is by John Glen, who'd previously done second unit work on other Bond films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Not a remake of the landmark 1903 Edwin S. Porter film, The Great Train Robbery is a dramatization of the famous first hold-up of a moving train in 1855 England. The conspirators in this undertaking are Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), Agar (Donald Sutherland) and Clean Willy (Wayne Sleep). Pierce is the brains, Clean Willy the brawn, and safecracker Agar provides the finesse. The scheme involves stealing a shipment of gold bars intended to be used in the payroll for the Army in the Crimean War. Lesley Anne Down co-stars as Miriam, the woman on the outside who arranges Connery's getaway. When released in England, this film was titled The First Great Train Robbery, so as not to be confused with Britain's embarrassing 1963 railroad heist. Director Michael Crichton adapted the story from his own, more-clinical novel on the same subject. Filmed in Ireland, The Great Train Robbery was dedicated to the memory of its director of photography, Geoffrey Unsworth, who died shortly after the production wrapped. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the six-part story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," eco-fanatics Grover (Noel Johnson) and Whitaker (Peter Miles) step up their efforts to hurl the world back to the Prehistoric Era. The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and his UNIT colleagues manage to raid the villains' underground headquarters, but Grover has already activated the device that will enable him to carry out his crack-brained scheme. Written by Malcolm Hulke, "Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Episode 6" was first telecast on February 16, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fourth episode of the six-part story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) have uncovered a plot to hurl the world back to the Prehistoric Era with the help of a herd of revitalized dinosaurs. Unfortunately, before they can give this information to the authorities, the two-time travelers are arrested as looters and thrown in prison. Though released by their old friends at UNIT, the Doctor and Sarah continue to run up against bureaucracy and treachery in their efforts to save humankind. Written by Malcolm Hulke, "Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Episode 4" was first telecast on February 2, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the six-part story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) have returned to London, only to find the all-but-deserted city under martial law. The reason? A herd of dinosaurs is running amok through the London streets, spreading terror and destruction in their path. Now that the Doctor knows what's going on, the next step is to find out why. Written by Malcolm Hulke, "Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Episode 2" was first telecast on January 19, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alfred Hitchcock entered the 1970s with his commercial reputation virtually in tatters, a far cry from his stature at the start of the 1960s. Then, he'd been in the middle of the massively successful trio of movies, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, and was a ubiquitous presence on television thanks to his anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents -- but the series ended, and he'd suffered three expensive box-office failures in a row, Marnie, Torn Curtain, and Topaz, in the second half of the 1960s. He redeemed himself with Frenzy, however, which marked his return not only to England for the first time in 20 years but also to the subject matter with which he'd started his career in thrillers back in 1926 -- murder, and a hunt for a serial killer in London. As the latest female victim of the "Necktie Murderer" is found in the Thames, raped and strangled, we meet Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), a bitter, belligerent ex-Royal Air Force officer who can't seem to find his way in life. He drinks too much and holds grudges too easily, and has an explosive temper, which is very near the surface as he's just lost his job. We also meet his girlfriend, a barmaid (Anna Massey); his ex-wife, a professional matchmaker (Barbara Leigh-Hunt); and his best friend, Covent Garden fruit seller Bob Rusk (Barry Foster). Their connection to the necktie murders will be clear to us in the first 30 minutes of the movie and, not coincidentally, completely misinterpreted by the police, as Chief Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowan) and his men tighten a circle around the wrong man, who rapidly runs out of options and allies.

The chase and suspense are classic Hitchcock, favorably recalling a dozen of his earlier movies, from The Lodger and The 39 Steps through Saboteur and Spellbound to Dial M for Murder and North by Northwest, with some new twists and the added energy afforded by the extensive use of actual London locations. There's also a good deal more sex and nudity here than Hitchcock was ever allowed to use in his earlier movies, owing to the relaxation of "decency" standards that had taken place in the years leading up to this production. The suspense derives from multiple interlocking and overlapping layers of uncertainty -- when will each of the two men, suspect and murderer, slip? (And which will slip first?) When and how will the police realize their mistake, and will it be in time to save the innocent man? Amid the straightforward storytelling and thriller elements, Hitchcock manages to slip in a few bravura cinematic moments, the best of them a pullback shot down a flight of stairs into a busy street as the killer invites his next victim into his home, as well as a scene aboard a truck, with a murderer desperately wrestling with a corpse hidden in a sack of potatoes. Frenzy was adapted from Arthur La Bern's novel Goodbye Picadilly, Farewell Leicester Square by mystery aficionado Anthony Shaffer, but for all of that and its decidedly modern trappings of sex and violence, it bears the indelible stylistic stamp of Alfred Hitchcock. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Underwater Menace," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) steps up his efforts to thwart the world-destruction schemes of Professor Zaroff (Joseph Furst). He is able to foment a below-the-sea rebellion against Zaroff, utilizing an army of fishlike ex-slaves -- but the results are far from satisfactory. Written by Geoffrey Orme, Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace, Episode 3 was first telecast on January 28, 1967. This is the only one of the four episodes known to exist in the BBC archives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, a movie mogul and a beautiful Asian actress set up a major swindle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Don't be misled by the title, and by the presence of Glynis Johns in the cast. The "Venus" in Appointment with Venus is a prized cow. The time is World War II: special operatives David Niven and Glynis Johns are dispatched to a Nazi-held island to rescue Venus, who for some reason or other is vital for British morale. Naturally, this isn't easy and leads to all sorts of complications. Released in the US as Island Rescue, Appointment with Venus was based on a novel by Jerrard Tickell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide